Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Friday said that he would come to West Bengal next year to campaign for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha general elections.

A day after Narendra Modi launched a high-pitch poll campaign in Tripura asking voters to "throw away" the Left Front government, the Congress today denounced him for speaking like a BJP leader and not a prime minister.


The retort came from Congress General Secretary C P Joshi, who is also the in-charge of party affairs in Tripura which will go to polls on February 18.


"It's very unfortunate that a prime minister did not deliver like a prime minister, but like a BJP leader," Joshi told reporters. Modi held a rally each at Sonamura in Sipahijala district and Kailashahar in Unakoti district yesterday.


"Throw away manik (Sarkar government) and go for 'hira' for prosperity and development in the state in the upcoming election," he urged the gathering at Sipahijala. Modi coined a new acronym 'HIRA'--H for highways, I for Internet way, R for roadways and A for airways--, hardselling the BJP as a tool for ushering in prosperity and development in the state which the Left has ruled for 25 years on the trot.


Joshi said it was for the first time the Congress was fighting the elections in Tripura without an electoral understanding with any party. -- PTI


Image: The PM at a rally in Tripura.

The central probe agency, Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Friday conducted raids on the premises of Congress leader Mahesh Nagar in Faridabad, Haryana, in connection with the Bikaner land scam case.


As per the ED, Nagar was the official representative of private firm Skylight Hospitality to procure land in Rajasthan's Bikaner district. The firm is said to have links with former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.


On December 22, the ED arrested Jaiprakash Bagarwa and Ashok Kumar under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) regarding the same case. -- ANI

French National Thierry Gagner, director of NGO 'Hopigo & Missions Humanitaries', arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a minor girl in Puducherry; booked under POCSO Act

MHA sources on SMHS Hospital shooting: The Home Ministry expressed concern and advised the J&K government to look into gaps in jail administration and review security. J&K govt initiated several action to prevent further incidents; DG Prisons J&K has been transferred, Jail Superintendent suspended and replaced.


An enquiry by Divisional Commissioner Srinagar has been ordered to fix responsibility and examine why terrorists were taken to the OPD rather than doctors being deputed to examine them. A committee will submit the report in 15 days.


The state government will also immediately review cases of hardened terrorists for shifting to other jails; 7 terrorists have already been relocated. To ensure full vigilance over terrorist prisoners, the state govt to involve CRPF in all aspects of Central Jail security.


To bring you up to speed, a Pakistani terrorist, Naveed Jatt, in police custody, staged a daring escape from the SMHS hospital in Srinagar on Tuesday, killing two policemen with a pistol handed to him by his Lashkar-e-Tayiba accomplices who ambushed the police team escorting him, police said.

Taking serious note of the escape of a jailed Pakistani terrorist, the Centre today asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to fully review security measures in place in jails and transportation of inmates.


The Union Home Ministry also asked the state government to ensure that no such incident takes place in future and deploy CRPF in prison security.


"The home ministry has taken serious note of the issue and has advised the state government to fully review security measures and take action to prevent such incidents in future," a senior home ministry official told PTI.


The move came following a high-level meeting which was convened after the escape of Pakistani terrorist Naveed Jatt, who was lodged in Srinagar central jail. He fled from a hospital in the city after some militants shot and killed two policemen accompanying him. Jatt was taken to the hospital for medical checkup.


The home ministry has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to fix responsibility for lapses and also to examine why a high-security prisoner was sent to the OPD of a hospital. -- PTI

Lashkar-e Toiba terrorist Bilal Ahmed Quta convicted for money laundering under PMLA by Principal City Civil Judge & Special Judge, Bengaluru for hatching a conspiracy during 2001-2007 to wage a war against India.

The Lok Sabha adjourned today for nearly a month-long recess amid unrelenting protests by Andhra Pradesh members demanding more central assistance for the state. Members from the ruling NDA ally TDP and YSR Congress went on with their protests during Zero Hour. The proceedings were first adjourned soon after meeting for the day for Question Hour. After papers listed for the day were laid, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House, which would now meet again on March 5. It also marks the end of the first half of the Budget session in the Lok Sabha.


But outside Parliament, putting away political differences, NCP MP Supriya Sule and a few other women MPs took time out to pose for this warm picture. Politics and politicking is strictly for the House, outside it, bonhomie rules. Supriya Sule tweeted, "Adis till March."


This is not the first time MPs faced the cameras as friends and not bitter rivals. Some images from the winter session of Parliament which ended last month.

We like!


Image: Clockwise from left: Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP), Anupriya Patel (SP), Kothapalli Geetha (YSR Congress), V Sathyabama  (AIADMK), Supriya Sule (NCP) and Sushmita Dev (Congress)

The NHRC has taken cognisance of a complaint filed by three children of Army officers alleging violation of human rights of the force's personnel in recent incidents of stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement today, the National Human Rights Commission said the complainants have also sought its "intervention for an appropriate enquiry in the recent incident of stone-pelting and assault by an unruly and disruptive mob on Army personnel in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on January 27".


In their complaint, the three children of Army officers have said they were "disturbed" by the recent incidents of stone-pelting and assaults by unruly and disruptive mob on security forces, according to the statement.


The commission has observed that in view of the facts narrated and allegations levelled in the complaint, "it will be appropriate to call for a factual report from the Ministry of Defence, through its secretary, to know the present status of the situation and steps taken by the Union government on the points raised by the complainants regarding alleged humiliation and violation of the human rights of the Army personnel in the state of Jammu and Kashmir".


A communication has been sent to the defence secretary, seeking a report in four weeks, it said. -- PTI


File pic.

Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have been ranked on top in overall health index while Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh saw maximum annual incremental performance among larger states, according to a report released by NITI Aayog on Friday.


In its 'Healthy States, Progressive India' Report, the organisation said Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh saw maximum annual incremental performance in indicators such as Neonatal Mortality Rate,  Under-five Mortality Rate, full immunization coverage, institutional deliveries, and People Living with HIV on Anti-Retroviral Therapy.


"Our job was first to challenge states, secondly to do workshops with states and thirdly to put it in ranking. While historical ranking is important, it is very important for us to capture change per year. Best thing was that the eastern states Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have done very well. They have come fourth and fifth and have moved up the ladder very fast, banking on radical reforms," NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said while releasing the report.


Among smaller states, Mizoram ranked first, followed by Manipur on overall performance, while Manipur, followed by Goa, were the top ranked states in terms of annual incremental performance, due to progress on indicators such as PLHIV on ART, first trimester antenatal care registration, grading quality parameters of Community Health Centres, average occupancy of key State-level officers and good reporting on the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.


Among union territories, Lakshadweep showed both the best overall performance as well as the highest annual incremental performance, with improvement in institutional deliveries, tuberculosis treatment success rate, and transfer of National Health Mission funds from State Treasury to implementation agency.


The Health Index report noted that while States and UTs that start at lower levels of development are generally at an advantage in notching up incremental progress over states with high Health Index scores, it is a challenge for states with high index scores to even maintain their performance levels. -- ANI

The National Green Tribunal today sought response from the Centre and Haryana government on a plea seeking reduction in the number of bikes at BJP chief Amit Shah's rally in Jind, on pollution grounds.


A bench headed by Justice S P Wangdi issued notices to the Environment Ministry, Haryana government, state pollution control board and Central Pollution Control Board and sought their replies by February 13.


One lakh motorcycles were expected to be mobilised during Shah's February 15 rally in Haryana's Jind district.


The order came after advocate Sumeer Sodhi, appearing for the petitioner, said that at a time when the entire Delhi'"NCR was facing several health problems due to poor ambient air, the motorbike rally would have an adverse impact on the environment.


The NGT was hearing a plea filed by advocate Victor Dhissa who has sought screening and reduction in the number of bikes which were likely to participate in the rally to be held on February 15.


The plea contended that instead of motorcycles, the state government should opt for bicycles or other environment friendly modes of transport for the rally. -- PTI


File pic. Amit Shah participates in a Tiranga Rally in Mangaluru in 2016.

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday told the Supreme Court that the state minority commission will submit a blueprint in connection with a plea to grant minority status to non-Muslims in the state within four weeks.

While hearing the plea seeking to identify and provide the rights to non-Muslims, the state government told the apex court that the commission was taking all steps to make a blueprint in the case.

Last year, the apex court asked the Centre and state government to sit together and deal with the issue.

In February 2017, the court had imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the Centre for not filing its reply to the PIL filed by Jammu-based lawyer Ankur Sharma, who alleged that benefits accruing to minorities were being taken away by Muslims who were in a majority in the state.

The plea also alleged that rights of religious and linguistic 'minorities' in the state were being "siphoned off illegally and arbitrarily" due to the extension of benefits to "unqualified sections" of the population. -- ANI

The International Cricket Council on Friday appointed PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi as the ICC board's first independent female director. Nooyi will join the world cricket governing body in June 2018 to align with the term of the ICC Independent Chairman, following the unanimous confirmation of her appointment.


The introduction of an Independent Director, who must be female, was approved by the ICC Full Council in June 2017 as part of wide ranging constitutional change aimed at improving the global governance of the sport.


Reflecting on Nooyi's appointment, ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar said, "We are delighted to welcome Indra to the ICC. Adding another independent director - particularly a female - is such an important step forward in improving our governance. To have someone of Indra's calibre is fantastic news for the global game - she is frequently recognized as one of the most influential people in business today, running one of the world's biggest corporations.


"We undertook a global search looking for the right candidate who would complement the existing skills and experience already on our Board. A cricket enthusiast with experience in the commercial sector and independent of the ICC, any Member or state or associated organization were the primary criteria and in Indra we have found an exceptional new colleague and we look forward to working with her in the future."


Indra Nooyi said, "I love the game of cricket. I played it as a teenager and in college, and to this day, I cherish the lessons the game taught me about teamwork, integrity, respect, and healthy competition. I am thrilled to join the ICC as the first person to be appointed to this role."


The Independent Director will be appointed for a two-year term although she may be re-appointed for two further terms with a maximum six-year consecutive period of service.  -- ANI

Three Army jawans were injured in intermittent firing and shelling by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Poonch district, officials said today.


The Army officials said intermittent firing was underway when reports last came in. The Pakistan Army continued firing and shelling overnight along the LoC in the Krishnagati sector of Poonch district, the officials said.


In the firing and shelling, three jawans suffered minor splinter injuries, they said. Yesterday, a 45-year-old woman was killed in shelling by the Pakistani troops along the LoC in the KG sector of Poonch. --  PTI

Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar has voiced his support to singer Sonu Nigam and said loudspeakers should not be used at places of worships. Last year, Nigam had described the loud sermons from the loudspeakers as hooliganism in a series of tweets which led to a 'fatwa' being issued against him by a Kolkata-based cleric.


Now, Akhtar has made a case against the use of loudspeakers at religious places. "This is to put on record that I totally agree with all those including Sonu Nigam who want that loudspeakers should not be used by the mosques and for that matter by any place of worship in residential areas," Akhtar tweeted. He also gave it back to a Twitter user who called him out for being a hypocrite. "Maen har galat baat Kay Khilaf awaaz uthata hoon. Mushkil yehi hai ke aap dusron ki galti to maan saktay hain Magar apni nahin. (I have spoken out against everything that is not right. Problem is that you point out others' mistakes but are not ready to accept yours.)"


Aktar replied. "Some people just cannot believe that someone can be fair and above communal prejudices because they themselves are not. Ask Ashoke Pandit how many times I haves spoken about KPS (Kashmiri Pandits) including once in the presence of the CM late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, who is the present Chief Minister," Akhtar replied to another user. -- PTI

NHRC asks the Defence Ministry on the steps being taken on complaints alleging violation of human rights of Army personnel in recent incidents of stone-pelting in J-K.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi today called upon all political parties to unite on the issue of grant of special status for Andhra Pradesh and other demands, including the speedy completion of the Polavaram project.


"The Congress supports the just demands of the people of Andhra Pradesh for special category status and speedy completion of the Polavaram project. It's time for all parties to unite on this issue and support this call for justice," he tweeted. Various parties have been raising the demand in both Houses of Parliament, leading to disruptions. The Congress and the TDP, which is part of the ruling NDA, have been at the forefront of protests inside and outside Parliament for granting special status to Andhra Pradesh. They have also been pressing for early fulfilment of all their demands as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, after the bifurcation of the state. -- PTI

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's historic Palestine visit, Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas said he will discuss with Mr Modi, India's role in the Middle East peace process and the creation of a multilateral forum of negotiations to strike a final deal with Israel.

BJP President Amit Shah hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in his address to party leaders at the BJP parliamentary meeting. Never before in the parliamentary history was a prime minister's reply to the president's address disrupted by the Opposition, Shah said, referring to Congress protests in the well of the Lok Sabha during Modi's over 90-minute speech on Wednesday.


Gandhi's mindset is "undemocratic" and that is why the prime minister had to speak amid disruptions, he said. When Manmohan Singh was prime minister for over 10 years, such a situation never occurred, he said.


Shah also touched on the Congress' attack on the government over the Rafale aircraft deal, saying Jaitley in his speech had touched on its various aspects. "The broader details of the deal have been shared in Parliament. But every detail, including those about its weapons and their cost, cannot be made public," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar quoted Shah as saying. -- PTI

Jagdish Tytler sting case: Shiromani Akali Dal's Harsmirat Kaur Badal and Naresh Gujral meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking the arrest of Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and investigation into the matter.

The BJP has already filed a complaint with the police on Monday demanding the arrest of Tytler, after a Sikh organisation released a video, claiming it shows him saying "I killed a 100 Sikhs". The video, which appears to have been recorded seven years ago, was released at a media conference on Monday evening by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

The Delhi High Court today decided to transfer the ongoing cross-examination of Arun Jaitley before the joint registrar to a court in a defamation suit filed by him against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and five other party leaders.


Expressing a view that any matter, including the present one, should be conducted fairly and in time-bound and speedy manner, Justice Manmohan said the cross examination of the finance minister be done by a single judge of the high court.


He further said now the joint registrar's order directing Kejriwal to conclude Jaitley's cross-examination on February 12 becomes infructuous as now the court will decide the date and the relevancy of questions put to the Union minister.


The court has fixed the matter for February 12 before Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw for Jaitley's further cross- examination. The court agreed to delegate the cross-examination of the BJP leader to the single judge after the counsel for the Jaitley and Kejriwal agreed to it.


"I agree to transfer this suit for cross-examination before a court. Lets be practical and allow trial to go on. There are even orders of this court to conduct the matter in a fair, time-bound and speedy manner.


"Now let the court decide whether to allow or disallow the questions. Lets put an end to it as it is going in a wrong direction," Justice Manmohan said. The court's direction came during hearing of Kejriwal's appeal against joint registrar's February 2 order directing him to conclude the cross-examination on February 12 itself.


Jaitley was being cross-examined by Kejriwal's counsel in his Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed in wake of allegations of financial irregularities against him in the Delhi and District Cricket Association of which he was the president from 1999 to 2013. Jaitley has filed the defamation suit against Kejriwal and AAP leaders Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai for accusing him of the irregularities and has denied all the allegations. -- PTI

The Lok Sabha adjourned today for nearly a month-long recess amid unrelenting protests by Andhra Pradesh members demanding more central assistance for the state. Members from the ruling NDA ally TDP and YSR Congress went on with their protests during Zero Hour.


The proceedings were first adjourned soon after meeting for the day for Question Hour. After papers listed for the day were laid, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House, which would now meet again on March 5. It also marks the end of the first half of the Budget session in the Lok Sabha. -- PTI

A police station in Lucknow has been painted saffron, a month after the Haj committee office's boundary walls were coated with the same colour which stoked a controversy.


The latest government building to get a saffron coat is the Gomti Nagar police station, which is one of the poshest areas in the state capital. Reportedly, a temple is also coming up in the premises of the station.


This is at least the second police station to be draped with this colour. Last month, Lucknow's Qaiser Bagh police station was painted in saffron, which is associated with the ruling BJP.  -- ANI


Also read:  After haj office, now Lucknow police station turns saffron

A youth, who had received specialised arms training in Pakistan, on Friday surrendered before the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. According to an official statement, Imran Farooq Para, resident of Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, was initially motivated to join terrorist ranks and moved to Pakistan on visa through the Wagah Border to get weapons training.


The training was imparted under the aegis of Hanzallah Adnan and Malik Saab of the Lashkar-e-Taiba on various small arms and improvised explosive devices. - ANI

Raj Shah has made his daily press briefing debut at the White House, becoming the first Indian- American to do so. In his capacity as the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, Shah is the highest ranking Indian-American in the White House press shop.


Ahead of his debut behind press briefing podium, his boss Sarah Sanders, the White House Press Secretary, described him as one of the best and the brightest in the Trump Administration. Shah, 33, has held this position since September last year.


"So proud to work with @RajShah45! One of the best and brightest in the administration," Sanders said in a tweet before Shah took the podium in the historic James S Brady press briefing room of the White House. -- PTI

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Monday the plea of an Army officer's father that the FIR against his son, booked as an accused by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the recent Shopian firing incident, be quashed.


A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud considered advocate Aishwarya Bhati's submission that the father's plea be heard on an urgent basis. The lawyer said the FIR has illegally been lodged against Major Aditya Kumar in connection with the firing incident in Shopian. "We will hear it on Monday," the bench said.


Lieutenant Colonel Karamveer Singh said his son, a major in 10 Garhwal Rifles, was "wrongly and arbitrarily" named in the FIR as the incident relates to an Army convoy that was on bonafide military duty in an area under the AFSPA and was isolated by an "unruly and deranged" mob pelting stones, causing damage to military vehicles. -- PTI

"Although the treatment is understated if compared to Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, its feminist hero ethos -- Ek aurat ki hifazat mein nakamiyab aadmi apne aap ko mard kaise keh sakta hai? -- are almost identical. Menstruation is seldom a part of our conversation in the movies. And PadMan scores for highlighting the shocking disregard for menstrual hygiene as well as unjustified steep pricing of means that offer protection from the same a lot more effectively than last year's Phullu. What PadMan is aiming for is admirable and a genuine concern, but it isn't always above the missteps common to most films of the meaningful genre."

Read Sukanya Verma's review before you book.

Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury has moved a privilege motion in the Rajya Sabha on Friday against Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju for posting a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocking her laughter in the Rajya Sabha.

Rijiju had captioned the tweet as "Despite such vexatious laugh by Renuka Chaudhary ji PM Narendra Modi ji didn't get irritated."

Expressing ire over the post, Renuka had told media, "This is degrading to a woman and highly objectionable. I am going to move a privilege motion."

Prime Minister Modi, on hearing the Congress MP laugh during his speech in the lower house on Wednesday, had said that he had last heard such laughter in the serial 'Ramayana.'

The following day, Rajya Sabha was adjourned for an hour over Prime Minister Modi's remarks.  - ANI

The Lok Sabha was adjourned minutes after it was convened today after protests from TDP members over the issue of budgetary allocation for Andhra Pradesh. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan straightway took up the Question House as the proceedings commenced. Soon members of the TDP crowded the Well raising slogans. "This cannot happen every day," the Speaker told the protesting members.


However, they did not relent following which the Speaker adjourned the House till noon. TDP members say the Union Budget has nothing for the state and have been protesting over it. The NDA ally had yesterday made it clear that it will continue its protest until its demand of special category status to Andhra Pradesh is accorded at the earliest.


Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had yesterday assured the agitating members that the Centre is looking at all issues concerning the state sympathetically and some decision on a special package and revenue deficit will be worked out in the next couple of days. The House will break for a recess today. The Parliament will meet again on March 5. -- PTI

Just in: One injured army jawan of 22 Sikh Regiment airlifted to army hospital Udhampur. Army jawan injured in Pakistani shelling in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch last night.

Voting for the Lok Sabha bypolls for Phulpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Araria in Bihar. Bhabua and Jehanabad assembly also in Bihar, to be held on March 11. Counting on March 14

An Indian-American was killed and another critically injured when a man opened fire in two convenience stores in the US state of Georgia. Parmjit Singh, a 44-year-old father of two high school students, was shot multiple times on Tuesday evening at the Hi Tech Quick Stop on Burnett Ferry Road, sheriff's officers said. The Floyd County coroner pronounced him dead on the scene.


Just 10 minutes after shooting Singh, the gunman entered another convenience store, Elm Street Food and Beverage, and stole money before shooting 30-year-old clerk Parthey Patel, sheriff's officers said. Patel was in a critical condition.


The suspect, Lamar Rashad Nicholson, 28, was arrested on multiple charges, including murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm while committing a crime and use of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is being held without bond in the Floyd County jail.
-- PTI

Is Narendra Modi's visit to Palestine, indeed the first by an Indian prime minister as the government claims?


Aabshar @Scepticindian tweets: Here is picture of first prime minister Nehru in Gaza. This PM just lies. His is not first prime ministerial visit. 

PM Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. 

The White House has instructed the federal agencies to prepare for a possible government shutdown as Congress moved closer to the midnight Thursday deadline without passing a funding bill.


"The Office of Management and Budget is currently preparing for a lapse in appropriations. As we stated earlier today, we support the Bipartisan Budget Act and urge Congress to send it to the president's desk without delay," the OMB official said.


Several media reports stated that the OMB official noted that the office is preparing for funding to lapse as a Senate stalemate drags on with only hours until current funding expires.


Some government agencies will run out of money and have to furlough workers if Congress lets funding lapse. A shutdown would be the second in less than a month.Congressional negotiators were scrambling earlier on Thursday to lock in enough votes in the House, on a two-year budget deal that would add $300 billion to the federal deficit. However, Sen. Rand Paul objected to moving toward passing the plan. -- ANI

Amid controversy over encounter killings in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that those who believed in the language of the gun, should be answered in the same manner. His remarks came amid criticism over the rising cases of encounters in the state.


"Everyone should be guaranteed security, but those who want to disturb peace of the society and believe in the gun, should be given the answer in the language of the gun itself. I would tell the administration, that there is no need to worry on this," Adityanath said in Gorakhpur.


Earlier, speaking to reporters in Lucknow on the uproar by the opposition in the state Assembly over various issues during the customary address of Governor Ram Naik, he said, "The opposition leaders'...rude, unparliamentary, indecorous and indecent behaviour...is despicable." "This type of behaviour shatters the parliamentary tradition ... Paper balls were thrown, balloons were flown. The use of foul language for the governor by the Samajwadi Party members in the presence of their leaders is indeed unparliamentary and an despicable act," he had said.


The behaviour pointed to the anarchy that was there in the state under the earlier rule, Adityanath added. "These people are yet to come out of their mindset of anarchy -- which they had allowed in the state -- and they do not want the House to be free from that anarchy," he said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for his three-nation visit to Palestine, the United Arab Emirates and Oman today. Noting that this would be the first-ever prime ministerial visit to Palestine from India, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar, said, "The Prime Minister will travel to Palestine via Amman. The Government of India and its leadership are very grateful to the Jordanian authorities and leadership for the wholehearted cooperation being extended for the Prime Minister's transit."


This will be Prime Minister Modi's second visit to the UAE and the first to Oman. During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions on matters of mutual interest with their leaders, apart from participating in other events.


Also, Prime Minister Modi would be addressing the Sixth World Government Summit to be held in Dubai, at which India has been extended the 'Guest of Honour' status. He will also meet the Indian community in the UAE and Oman. -- ANI

Update on the stock market: Stocks suffered heavy losses in opening trade with the BSE Sensex dropping below the 34,000- mark by slumping about 564 points and Nifty sinking over 1.6 per cent on widespread sell-off triggered by a rout in global equity markets.


The BSE 30-share barometer dived 563.51 points, or 1.63 per cent, to 33,849.65, wiping out its gains of 330.45 points in the previous session. All sectoral indices led by bankex, teck and IT slipped into the negative zone with losses of up to 1.76 per cent down. The broad-based NSE Nifty was trading lower by 178.65 points, or 1.68 per cent, at 10,398.20.


Other Asian markets plunged up to 4.24 per cent after Wall Street routed for the second time this week on worries over rising US interest rates. With the volatility continuing to hound equity markets, US index the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 4.2 per cent, the broad-based S&P 500 plummeted 3.8 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index sank 3.9 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 3.62 per cent, Japan's Nikkei shed 3.22 per cent, while Shanghai Composite Index down 4.24 per cent in their late morning deals.


Back home, ICICI Bank dropped the most by 2.75 per cent, followed by ITC 1.9 per cent, HDFC 1.85 per cent, Axis Bank 1.66 per cent and Larsen and Toubro 1.6 per cent. Infosys, TCS, Reliance, HDFC BankKotak Bank, SBI IndusInd Bank Hindustan Unileverand Bharti Airtel also dropped up to 1.5 per cent. -- PTI

Update on the stock market: Stocks suffered heavy losses in opening trade with the BSE Sensex dropping below the 34,000- mark by slumping about 564 points and Nifty sinking over 1.6 per cent on widespread sell-off triggered by a rout in global equity markets.


The BSE 30-share barometer dived 563.51 points, or 1.63 per cent, to 33,849.65, wiping out its gains of 330.45 points in the previous session. All sectoral indices led by bankex, teck and IT slipped into the negative zone with losses of up to 1.76 per cent down. The broad-based NSE Nifty was trading lower by 178.65 points, or 1.68 per cent, at 10,398.20.


Other Asian markets plunged up to 4.24 per cent after Wall Street routed for the second time this week on worries over rising US interest rates. With the volatility continuing to hound equity markets, US index the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 4.2 per cent, the broad-based S&P 500 plummeted 3.8 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index sank 3.9 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 3.62 per cent, Japan's Nikkei shed 3.22 per cent, while Shanghai Composite Index down 4.24 per cent in their late morning deals.


Back home, ICICI Bank dropped the most by 2.75 per cent, followed by ITC 1.9 per cent, HDFC 1.85 per cent, Axis Bank 1.66 per cent and Larsen and Toubro 1.6 per cent. Infosys, TCS, Reliance, HDFC BankKotak Bank, SBI IndusInd Bank Hindustan Unileverand Bharti Airtel also dropped up to 1.5 per cent. -- PTI

"Here is a counter-factual: If Rahul Gandhi had not been Congress president, would the prime minister have spoken recently in parliament of how Vallabhbhai Patel would have made a better prime minister than Jawaharlal Nehru? Narendra Modi first played the Nehru vs Patel trick during the campaign for the 2014 general elections. Why is he playing it again, four years later? Largely because it is a convenient handle to distract voters away from the failures of his own government. The "achhe din' he promised have manifestly not arrived for the youth and the farmers, while "bure din' have manifestly arrived for Muslims and other minorities (and arguably for Dalits too)."

As always, a gem from Ramchandra Guha. Do read

Delhi: Amit Shah and other leaders arrive for the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. The Congress held it's parliamentary party meeting yesterday, helmed by Sonia Gandhi, who reminded party leaders that Rahul Gandhi was her boss too, "let there be no doubt about it".

JUST IN: Benchmark indices Sensex, Nifty decline over 1.5 per cent in opening trade after global markets suffered big drops.

Sensex is down by 501.99 points at 33,911.17.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged by 1,032 Points on Thursday, suggesting that investors aren't ready to return to equities following three days of intense volatility.

The broad-based S&P 500 sank 3.8 per cent to 2,581.00, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index plunged 3.9 per cent to 6,777.16.

Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Group Captain Arun Marwah on charges of providing details of secret Indian Air Force documents to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

A first information report has been filed under relevant sections of Officials Secrets Act, ANI reported.

An NDTV report quoted police as saying that Marwah was honey-trapped by an ISI official who pretending to be a woman on WhatsApp.

Marwah has been sent to police custody.

United States President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed concern about the political situation in Maldives over a phone call, as they also discussed the situation in Afghanisthan and enhancing security in Indo-Pacific region, the White House said.

'Both leaders expressed concern about the political crisis in Maldives and the importance of respect for democratic institutions and rule of law,' the White House said in a readout of the phone call between Trump and Modi, the first in this year.

Maldives plunged into a political chaos on last Thursday when the apex court ordered the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, maintaining that their trials were 'politically motivated and flawed'.

The Yameen government has refused to implement the ruling, prompting a wave of protests in Maldives capital, Male. Maldives' Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested hours after Yameen declared a state of emergency.

The White House said the two leaders also pledged to continue working together to enhance security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

'Affirming President Trump's South Asia strategy, they reiterated their commitment to supporting Afghanistan's security and stability,' the White House said.

Modi and Trump also exchanged views on Myanmar and ways to address the plight of the Rohingya refugees. As of now there are some 680,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh putting enormous pressure in the economy of Bangladesh.